Originally Posted by
chgoeditor
I love Swan but I've always suspected that it's really just a tourist joint. (Though I'd love for an SFer to tell me I'm wrong.) I laugh whenever I have the occasion to visit friends staying in hotels locally -- I'll pick up one of the Chicago tourist guides and read about restaurants that appear to be the most popular spots in the city but in reality are spots locals rarely if ever go.
it’s both. Locals and tourists; it’s great and I last ate there in January 2012. The only reason why I don’t eat there is because there’s a long line and limited space and nobody has asked if I want to eat there. For me, zero restaurant is worth a long queue unless it’s a bakery that lacks reservations and online ordering. I eat at restaurants with reservations because I have zero desire to wait so I’ll never suggest Swan’s for seafood. There are so many amazing restaurants all over the world so that I don’t care about what I’m missing - I only care about where I am.